1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of information handling system cable connections, and more particularly to a system and method for error messaging of an incorrect information handling system graphics cable connection to a projector.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Information handling systems often interact with a number of peripherals to communicate, print, display or otherwise process information. For instance, graphics projectors are typically used to project images of multimedia information generated by information handling systems, such as documents, photographs and videos, for display to large groups of people, such as in a conference room. Often, users that present information prefer to view the information on a separate display peripheral. To support simultaneous display of information by the graphics projector and a separate monitor, graphics projectors typically include a monitor loop that takes a signal received at an input port and outputs the signal to an output port for communication to the separate peripheral. The monitor loop generally buffers an re-transmits the incoming graphics input signal on the output connector to drive the additional display peripheral. Monitor loops are often built as collocated VGA compliant connections as a convenient option for displaying information through both the projector and a separate monitor where an information handling system has only a single VGA graphics card and output port.
One difficulty that sometimes arises with collocation of input and output VGA connectors on a graphics projector is that a user will inadvertently connect a VGA graphics cable that carries an inbound signal to the output port instead of the input port. Outbound and inbound ports having VGA compliant connections have the same form factor, and both ends of a VGA cable have pins aligned with the same form factor so that either end may be used as either the input or output connection. If a user incorrectly connects a VGA graphics cable so that the cable carries a graphics signal from an information handling system to the output port of a graphics projector, the graphics projector will only display its normal “no signal” display. Users are often confused by the inability to obtain an image from the graphics projector since, in the user's mind, the cable connector fit into a port. Often users will call the information handling system manufacturer to seek help in obtaining an image from the graphics projector. However, analysis of a projection failure over the phone is difficult since users often insist that the cable is properly connected. Thus, such graphics projector failures often result in needless returns to the manufacturer.